Obtaining a Teaching Degree

Public school teachers in our nation go through a state regulated process for the teaching credential required to teach in schools. Typically, a bachelor’s or master’s degree with major or minor in education is required. High school teachers usually need to major in the subject that they would like to teach, and this sometimes calls for a master’s degree. Teacher certification normally requires that these kinds of educational requirements be met, and that the individual pass an exam.

A majority of colleges offer undergraduate majors, tailored for earning a teaching credential, that take four to five years to complete. Bachelor’s degrees in education focus almost solely on teaching. In such a curriculum, you will encounter subjects like child development, classroom management, teaching fundamentals, and similar topics. Major requirements may include multiple subjects such as social studies, math, reading, and all of the main subjects regularly taught in grades K-6.

Bachelor’s degrees in education are available at certain online educational institutions. Many times these degree programs can be completed within two or three years. Often, college credits that were obtained prior to online enrollment are transferable. In most cases, it seems, online schools tend to offer more master’s programs than bachelor’s degrees in education. A number of master’s programs in education are geared towards people looking to work on the business side of education, or for teachers interesting in moving to an administrative position.

The University of Phoenix Online provides a master’s degree in education with concentrations in elementary education, early childhood education, secondary education, and special education. This university’s programs are fashioned to prepare students for those different teaching environments.

For secondary level teachers, the master’s degree programs focus on individual major subjects like English and language arts, social science and history, science, math, and others. Creating a productive learning environment and adolescent development will also be included in such a degree program. The programs at the University of Phoenix target secondary teaching opportunities.

Jones International University offers a master’s in adult education and administration as well as a higher education leadership and administration degree. These opportunities are for those who want to progress in educational hierarchy.

State teaching certification requirements are transforming, which is creating a change in the focus of teaching degrees. It no longer has to take five years as an undergraduate to achieve the educational goal. Investigate the requirements in the school district that you are interested in teaching in to make sure your educational efforts will move your towards your goal.